It's been a little while since I've posted anything...life has been interesting since we got here. It's taken awhile to settle in, but we're slowly getting there. It's a bit strange living with Luke's family - not that they're hard to live with, it's just that we've lived on our own for almost a year and now to come and live with family again takes awhile to get used to! I don't even cook anymore because Luke's mom Jenene does all the cooking....that's taking a bit to get used to as well!
There's definitely been some hard days in the past couple of weeks. I've been really homesick lately, and that doesn't help anything either. We've had a bit of a run around with Luke's previous employer, which I won't go into here, but I will say they will get their just rewards someday!! And I won't be sad to see it happen....people amaze me sometimes. And we're unsure of how things are looking with work here in Colorado for Luke as well. The school district he was going to work for is going through some major changes this school year and they're not sure how many more bus drivers they're going to need. So because of that, they can't say a definitive yes or no on whether Luke will get to start in August or not.....which is extremely frustrating. So....it could be going better....but God doesn't give us more than we can handle....I have to keep on remembering that!
It'll get better....It has to really :)
That's all for now I guess.....I miss my family.
Friday, July 20, 2007
Thursday, July 5, 2007
We're here....finally!
Wow, that was such a drive!! We left Victoria on July 2nd, both of us teary eyed and sad. There was a level of excitement, but more so there was a real saddness about having to leave our little island. I tried to be brave and fight the tears up until that point but when my mom started crying and I had to hug everyone goodbye, that was it man, I was sobbing before we left Sooke. I had to keep reminding myself that it was going to be an adventure...one that we would remember forever...and that of course we would be back. But man it was a hard drive!
We caught the 8:00 ferry and enjoyed a nice breakfast onboard while thinking about all we were leaving behind. I wanted to call my family already but I fought the urge :) We had a long wait at the border since it was a long weekend up in Canada and entering into a long weekend in the USA as well....so we waited about an hour or so. And then we drove....and drove...and drove some more! :) It seemed endless! Eastern Washington State and Oregon sure are dull...it's just plain flat lands and some rolling hills. But nothing at all exciting to look at. But that's alright, we jsut listened to the radio and chatted about how hot it was!! :) On Day 1 we spent the night in Boise, Idaho.
We left Boise kind of later then we wanted to on Day 2. We spent some time taking the top off the jeep and buying sunscreen...but that was a necessary evil. The problem we were running into is the the jeep was beginning to slightly overheat. Not to a level where we needed to stop and shut the car off or anything, but it was just getting a little hotter than Luke would have liked. So the solution to that is to drive with the heat on! That disperses the heat that's around the engine and sends it into the cab instead :) Well, that's all well and good, but it was already over 100 degrees outside, so add that to the heat that was being pumped into the cab.....well, let's just say it wasn't too much fun! :) So our solution to the heat issue was to take the top off the Jeep...it lets a lot more air get to us and disperses that excess heat! Luke had warned me that driving with the top off all day would lead to a sunburn if we weren't careful, so we made sure to stop for sunscreen and we were lathering it on all day long. Apparently, the sun didn't seem to care and burnt me to a crisp anyway!!! Oh man, was I red! It was horrible by the end of the night - I was in a lot of pain. Of course I was wearing a tank top all day because of the unbelievable heat...so I was pretty much red everywhere! Not fun! So on Day 2, we got all the way to Grand Junction, Colorado. We spent the night there so that we could stop and see the Colorado National Monument on Day 3.
Day 3 started out with me lathering myself over and over with ALOE! :) heheh! It helped a little bit....plus I wore a long sleeved shirt that day as well. It was still right around 100-105 degees, but it physically hurt my skin to have the sun touching it...it felt like it was burning it right off my body! We went and saw the Colorado National Monument and I was so glad that we did...it was an amazing sight! People compare it to the Grand Canyon as a smaller version. It was breathtaking...I took so many photos!! :) There's a monument there named Independence Monument and every year on Independence Day a group of climbers climb up and mount an American flag on the top of the monument. There was a really large group of people watching and waiting for all the climbers to get to the top. We waited for a little while but then decided we needed to keep going. It was really neat to see though!
So on Day 3, July 4th, we arrived at Luke's family's house. We arrived just in time for the fireworks too! :) It was a really nice night - so clear outside. It made for a perfect night for fireworks! And imagine, fireworks just for us! heheh :)
We've rested lots already today - Luke and I are both super exhausted from that long drive. It was an amazing experience though, and we're so glad we did it. We're so blessed that the Jeep held up and didn't have any major problems at all. We've always had some sort of car issue when we travel, but thankfully this was the exception! I miss my family already, but I know I'll get to see them at the end of September for the Feast....it seems like forever though.
I'll write more when we start to get settled....who knows how long that will take!
We caught the 8:00 ferry and enjoyed a nice breakfast onboard while thinking about all we were leaving behind. I wanted to call my family already but I fought the urge :) We had a long wait at the border since it was a long weekend up in Canada and entering into a long weekend in the USA as well....so we waited about an hour or so. And then we drove....and drove...and drove some more! :) It seemed endless! Eastern Washington State and Oregon sure are dull...it's just plain flat lands and some rolling hills. But nothing at all exciting to look at. But that's alright, we jsut listened to the radio and chatted about how hot it was!! :) On Day 1 we spent the night in Boise, Idaho.
We left Boise kind of later then we wanted to on Day 2. We spent some time taking the top off the jeep and buying sunscreen...but that was a necessary evil. The problem we were running into is the the jeep was beginning to slightly overheat. Not to a level where we needed to stop and shut the car off or anything, but it was just getting a little hotter than Luke would have liked. So the solution to that is to drive with the heat on! That disperses the heat that's around the engine and sends it into the cab instead :) Well, that's all well and good, but it was already over 100 degrees outside, so add that to the heat that was being pumped into the cab.....well, let's just say it wasn't too much fun! :) So our solution to the heat issue was to take the top off the Jeep...it lets a lot more air get to us and disperses that excess heat! Luke had warned me that driving with the top off all day would lead to a sunburn if we weren't careful, so we made sure to stop for sunscreen and we were lathering it on all day long. Apparently, the sun didn't seem to care and burnt me to a crisp anyway!!! Oh man, was I red! It was horrible by the end of the night - I was in a lot of pain. Of course I was wearing a tank top all day because of the unbelievable heat...so I was pretty much red everywhere! Not fun! So on Day 2, we got all the way to Grand Junction, Colorado. We spent the night there so that we could stop and see the Colorado National Monument on Day 3.
Day 3 started out with me lathering myself over and over with ALOE! :) heheh! It helped a little bit....plus I wore a long sleeved shirt that day as well. It was still right around 100-105 degees, but it physically hurt my skin to have the sun touching it...it felt like it was burning it right off my body! We went and saw the Colorado National Monument and I was so glad that we did...it was an amazing sight! People compare it to the Grand Canyon as a smaller version. It was breathtaking...I took so many photos!! :) There's a monument there named Independence Monument and every year on Independence Day a group of climbers climb up and mount an American flag on the top of the monument. There was a really large group of people watching and waiting for all the climbers to get to the top. We waited for a little while but then decided we needed to keep going. It was really neat to see though!
So on Day 3, July 4th, we arrived at Luke's family's house. We arrived just in time for the fireworks too! :) It was a really nice night - so clear outside. It made for a perfect night for fireworks! And imagine, fireworks just for us! heheh :)
We've rested lots already today - Luke and I are both super exhausted from that long drive. It was an amazing experience though, and we're so glad we did it. We're so blessed that the Jeep held up and didn't have any major problems at all. We've always had some sort of car issue when we travel, but thankfully this was the exception! I miss my family already, but I know I'll get to see them at the end of September for the Feast....it seems like forever though.
I'll write more when we start to get settled....who knows how long that will take!
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
So Very Inspiring
When I was working at the first Dr. office job - it was a maternity and family practice - I met this amazing lady named Leslie. She was in her 50's and has had Cerebral Palsy her entire life. She is so sweet and kind and I just couldn't help getting to know her and always wanting to chat with her when she came into the office. I found out that she put herself through school and became a Social Worker. She worked as a Social Worker for years and now that she's getting a bit older volunteers a lot in that same field. She lives on her own and takes the bus everywhere. She was always so upbeat and always wanted to chat and make everyone smile and laugh. She was one of the patients I missed most when I left that job and moved on. I thought about her often and wondered how she was doing because she had been having a lot of trouble recentyl before I left.
I was doing some typing for Dr. Cunningham yesterday and I realized that he had seen her out in the Millstream office! I was so happy to hear that she was doing relatively well. Unfortunately she was seeing one of our surgeons so there are some issues there. But it just got me thinking about her and about all she did with her life when I'm sure people tried to discourage her seeing as she has this major disability. Puts it all in perspective - how often do we complain and drag our heels about work and school and life in general. And here's this amazing lady who has every roadblock possible in front of her and she put herself through school and worked at a veyr difficult job for years. I just thought she was a true inspiration! :)
So Leslie, I hope everything turns out well for you. You're in my thoughts and prayers. I know you'll probably never read this, but if you do, know you had a huge effect on me!
I was doing some typing for Dr. Cunningham yesterday and I realized that he had seen her out in the Millstream office! I was so happy to hear that she was doing relatively well. Unfortunately she was seeing one of our surgeons so there are some issues there. But it just got me thinking about her and about all she did with her life when I'm sure people tried to discourage her seeing as she has this major disability. Puts it all in perspective - how often do we complain and drag our heels about work and school and life in general. And here's this amazing lady who has every roadblock possible in front of her and she put herself through school and worked at a veyr difficult job for years. I just thought she was a true inspiration! :)
So Leslie, I hope everything turns out well for you. You're in my thoughts and prayers. I know you'll probably never read this, but if you do, know you had a huge effect on me!
Monday, June 11, 2007
Welcome to the world Jacob!!
Little baby Jacob Keir was born today!! Congrats to Mom and Dad and big Sister Madison!! I'm so happy that the labour was short and relatively easy (as easy as pushing a 6 lbs baby can be!). I have yet to meet the little pumpkin but I can't wait to hold him and give him lots of cuddles. Uh oh, baby fever for Kristi!!!! ;)
Although, I do have to say, Luke and I better get on the baby wagon soon because all the names we'd discussed already are being scooped up!! hahah! We had always liked the name Jacob as well as James and now little Jake has been born and a couple months ago Mandie and Peter had a little boy that they named James!! heheh :) Oh well, that just means those aren't the names we're supposed to use, that's all! :)
Although, I do have to say, Luke and I better get on the baby wagon soon because all the names we'd discussed already are being scooped up!! hahah! We had always liked the name Jacob as well as James and now little Jake has been born and a couple months ago Mandie and Peter had a little boy that they named James!! heheh :) Oh well, that just means those aren't the names we're supposed to use, that's all! :)
Tuesday, June 5, 2007
Feast planinng already?! WOW!
We booked our hotel room for the Feast!! Yay! :) I just love planning for the Feast - I can't believe we're at that time already! This year is going to be so neat because Luke and I will be driving to the Feast, so it'll be a great new experience! We actually booked a bit of a bigger room this year which is going to be really great! It has a big ol' whirlpool tub in the room as well, which is going to be so nice and relaxing! :) Luke will love that - he may never get out! We wanted a bit of a bigger room preferably with a couch and stuff so that we can have people over and have little get togethers and stuff as well. I like to have people over and this way we can have some wine and some cheese and get our eat and drink on ;) Should be loads of fun! :)
Happy Feast planning all!!!
Happy Feast planning all!!!
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
And so it begins...
Luke and I started packing stuff up and getting things organized in the house. It's totally amazing how much stuff you can accumulate over such a short period of time!! I basically was just going through paperwork and filing everything we needed to keep and chucking away as MUCH as possible! :) I brought in a whole pile of paperwork to the office yesterday to shred - which was really good cause I hate throwing out stuff with any kind of personal information on it!
We're going to try and see as much stuff as possible and store as very little as possible. We don't have that much furniture that we're planning on keeping - not much has sentimental value or anything. Mom and Dad have offered us storage at their place, which is a huge blessing because storage units look like they may be fairly pricey per month, even for one that's only 5' x 5'! So that'll work out so well. We're going to go through our clothes and give as much away as possible. Stuff that we haven't worn in ages or that just doesn't quite fit right, etc. May as well not store stuff that we don't really care too much about! May as well let it go for someone else to use. I'm going to wash up all my scrubs and see if the girls at work want any of them. If not, I'm going to just see if I can sell them on UsedVictoria or something.
It's all coming together....slowly but surely. We have a tad over a month until we leave....we'll make it happen :)
Oh the joys of moving...
We're going to try and see as much stuff as possible and store as very little as possible. We don't have that much furniture that we're planning on keeping - not much has sentimental value or anything. Mom and Dad have offered us storage at their place, which is a huge blessing because storage units look like they may be fairly pricey per month, even for one that's only 5' x 5'! So that'll work out so well. We're going to go through our clothes and give as much away as possible. Stuff that we haven't worn in ages or that just doesn't quite fit right, etc. May as well not store stuff that we don't really care too much about! May as well let it go for someone else to use. I'm going to wash up all my scrubs and see if the girls at work want any of them. If not, I'm going to just see if I can sell them on UsedVictoria or something.
It's all coming together....slowly but surely. We have a tad over a month until we leave....we'll make it happen :)
Oh the joys of moving...
Friday, May 18, 2007
Moving to COLORADO!!
It's been a little while since I posted on here - life gets way too stressful and busy!
As you can see by the title, Luke and I are in fact moving to Colorado on July 2nd....but don't worry, it's only for a year! It's a very long story that has to do with Luke's immigration to Canada. The basics are:
I'm getting excited about it....but get back to me on that a few days before we leave! I'll be a mess :)
As you can see by the title, Luke and I are in fact moving to Colorado on July 2nd....but don't worry, it's only for a year! It's a very long story that has to do with Luke's immigration to Canada. The basics are:
- If we file for Permanent Residency (PR) status from within Canada, Luke wouldn't be able to work until it was all completed and that could take up to TWO YEARS!
- If we file for PR Status outside of Canada (i.e. Colorado), Luke would be able to work and the paperwork could take as little as 6 months and possibly up to a year.
- Luke could make a lot more money working in the States than I could as the only income here in Canada.
- Moving is the best of two sort of crappy options - we don't want to move away from my family but we will get to spend a great deal of time with Luke's family in Colorado which will be great!
I'm getting excited about it....but get back to me on that a few days before we leave! I'll be a mess :)
Friday, March 30, 2007
End of the week...finally!
It's been a long week! I've been so tired lately...but I'm really trying to listen to my body and get to bed early and really go to SLEEP early instead of reading and what not. I think it was Tuesday night, I went to bed at like 7:45! I was asleep by 8:00! :) That's pretty good right?! Anyway, I am looking forward to sleeping a little more this weekend, however there is deleavening to finish up this weekend as well, so while Luke is at work on Sunday I will be doing that.
So, to continue with my last post about passports....I finally sent my information off last week. I checked it like 4 times and then gave the package to Luke to read over and make sure I hadn't forgotten to check a box or something ridiculous like that! All seemed good so I took it to the Post Office and got it sent off Express so I could track it. It arrived two days later in Quebec and I am assuming they're starting to process it...but possibly not quite yet. Oh well, I'm in no real hurry for it or anything...I just want to get my original ID back safe and sound! So according to the Passport Canada website I should be seeing it around end of May, beginning of June....we'll see!
Now on a totally different tangent....I am super frustrated with the photographer who did our wedding photos!! ARGH is all I have to say. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE our photos...they are beyond gorgeous (if you want to see them go to my Yahoo Photos link on the left side of the screen....for your viewing enjoyment!). But unfortunately Mr. Photog has been extremely difficult to deal with since the process began. He advertises an email address that you can reach him at, but he never checks it (I'm talking months can go by without a response...totally unacceptable), he doesn't do the things he promises he will (such as attending the wedding rehersal which apparently is something he prides himself on doing so he can get to knwo the wedding party by name, etc....apparently it wasn't as important to him as he led us to believe it was! I was so excited to be working with him as I have close friends who have used him in their weddings and I've been in their wedding party so know he is great to work with and his end product is amazing. However this was about 4 and 5 years ago and I think he has gotten too big in his own head and now has this snotty attitude a lot of the time...also totally unacceptable. He makes it seem like you're sort of wasting his time or he is doing you a favour by calling back or showing up!! Good GRIEF...I cannot stand people like that. So regardless to say I was disappointed in him and his professional behaviour. Before our wedding I wouldn't have hesitated to refer him to ANYONE I knew who was getting married...or just wanted an amazing portrait, etc. But now, I am really hesitant because he gave me far more stress than was necessary.
Long story short...half the price of our wedding photo package was this amazing wedding album that was just gorgeous and handmade and all this stuff...we couldn't wait to get it! So we sent an email to Mr. Photog beginning of November with our favourite photos for the album and we have been waiting for it since then! So just a couple weeks ago Luke mentioned something about the album and wondering when we would get it....so I emailed Mr. Photog and asked him what was up since it's been 7 months since the wedding, etc....wondering where on earth our album was. I got an email back from him (that's amazing all in itself really!) and he said he had never received our picture order and so therefore had NOT YET STARTED THE ALBUM!!!! Can you imagine?! And he even had the gall to mention "I'm actually surprised it took me this long to hear from you!"....does he NOT have a phone??! Could he not have realized "Hmmm....I haven't heard from the Nelsons yet and it's been (insert # here) months...maybe I should CALL them and follow up on the album THAT I HAVE ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR!!!!!"
I am angry.
So thankfully I kept track of the pictures that we'd chosen and can email them to him AGAIN. I will also be forwarding off the email from November to him again so he sees that it was indeed sent off (thanks for the idea Mom!). I just think it's so very unprofessional. He is providing a service and he needs to give his clients the service that he promises and that we pay good money for! I dont' expect him to be at my every beck and call, obviously, but replies to email and phone calls would be a good starting point. And that is not too much to ask. I will be very happy to be getting our album back finally...maybe we can enjoy it on our one year anniversary! (sarcasm inserted here)
Well, now that I've riled myself up ;) I should get back to my work! I'm all by myself in the transcription room today so I need to keep the pace up! I am so looking forward to the weekend :)
Have a great weekend all - Happy Sabbath!
Love Kristi
So, to continue with my last post about passports....I finally sent my information off last week. I checked it like 4 times and then gave the package to Luke to read over and make sure I hadn't forgotten to check a box or something ridiculous like that! All seemed good so I took it to the Post Office and got it sent off Express so I could track it. It arrived two days later in Quebec and I am assuming they're starting to process it...but possibly not quite yet. Oh well, I'm in no real hurry for it or anything...I just want to get my original ID back safe and sound! So according to the Passport Canada website I should be seeing it around end of May, beginning of June....we'll see!
Now on a totally different tangent....I am super frustrated with the photographer who did our wedding photos!! ARGH is all I have to say. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely LOVE our photos...they are beyond gorgeous (if you want to see them go to my Yahoo Photos link on the left side of the screen....for your viewing enjoyment!). But unfortunately Mr. Photog has been extremely difficult to deal with since the process began. He advertises an email address that you can reach him at, but he never checks it (I'm talking months can go by without a response...totally unacceptable), he doesn't do the things he promises he will (such as attending the wedding rehersal which apparently is something he prides himself on doing so he can get to knwo the wedding party by name, etc....apparently it wasn't as important to him as he led us to believe it was! I was so excited to be working with him as I have close friends who have used him in their weddings and I've been in their wedding party so know he is great to work with and his end product is amazing. However this was about 4 and 5 years ago and I think he has gotten too big in his own head and now has this snotty attitude a lot of the time...also totally unacceptable. He makes it seem like you're sort of wasting his time or he is doing you a favour by calling back or showing up!! Good GRIEF...I cannot stand people like that. So regardless to say I was disappointed in him and his professional behaviour. Before our wedding I wouldn't have hesitated to refer him to ANYONE I knew who was getting married...or just wanted an amazing portrait, etc. But now, I am really hesitant because he gave me far more stress than was necessary.
Long story short...half the price of our wedding photo package was this amazing wedding album that was just gorgeous and handmade and all this stuff...we couldn't wait to get it! So we sent an email to Mr. Photog beginning of November with our favourite photos for the album and we have been waiting for it since then! So just a couple weeks ago Luke mentioned something about the album and wondering when we would get it....so I emailed Mr. Photog and asked him what was up since it's been 7 months since the wedding, etc....wondering where on earth our album was. I got an email back from him (that's amazing all in itself really!) and he said he had never received our picture order and so therefore had NOT YET STARTED THE ALBUM!!!! Can you imagine?! And he even had the gall to mention "I'm actually surprised it took me this long to hear from you!"....does he NOT have a phone??! Could he not have realized "Hmmm....I haven't heard from the Nelsons yet and it's been (insert # here) months...maybe I should CALL them and follow up on the album THAT I HAVE ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR!!!!!"
I am angry.
So thankfully I kept track of the pictures that we'd chosen and can email them to him AGAIN. I will also be forwarding off the email from November to him again so he sees that it was indeed sent off (thanks for the idea Mom!). I just think it's so very unprofessional. He is providing a service and he needs to give his clients the service that he promises and that we pay good money for! I dont' expect him to be at my every beck and call, obviously, but replies to email and phone calls would be a good starting point. And that is not too much to ask. I will be very happy to be getting our album back finally...maybe we can enjoy it on our one year anniversary! (sarcasm inserted here)
Well, now that I've riled myself up ;) I should get back to my work! I'm all by myself in the transcription room today so I need to keep the pace up! I am so looking forward to the weekend :)
Have a great weekend all - Happy Sabbath!
Love Kristi
Monday, March 19, 2007
Passport Frustrations!!
So I've been contemplating this passport thing for the past couple months now...I figured I should get one sometime in my new married name and since I had FINALLY gotten around to changing my drivers license, etc, I figured this is a good time! Anyway, I got my passport photos done...paid the $13...got my accountant friend to endorse them for me to guarentee it's me in the photos...and contemplated whether I was going to stand in line with my passport or just send it in. The reason I wanted to initially stand in line and wait for it....even though I would have to get down there at like 3:00 AM....is because I didn't want to send in my original birth cirtificate and marriage license. But anyway, long story short, I decided to just send it in, so I was getting it all prepared yesterday and thought just for the hell of it I would measure my photos and make sure all was good. TURNS OUT....they didn't meet the requirements!!! ARGH!! So thankfully London Drugs has a guarentee on their photos so I went down there today after work and got new ones printed up....and I checked in at another store to make sure they thought they were decent and would pass inspection...and they gave me their okay :) So lets hope for the best!!! All I have to do now is get my accountant to sign the new ones and figure out the best way to send my package out :) And hopefully it gets opened in the next month or two! heheh!
Alright, enough on that...boring story, I know...but as you can see, we lead SUCH exciting lives ;) But at the moment we're watching ***24***!!! So I must be signing off now :)
Have a wonderful evening all!
Alright, enough on that...boring story, I know...but as you can see, we lead SUCH exciting lives ;) But at the moment we're watching ***24***!!! So I must be signing off now :)
Have a wonderful evening all!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
First post of many!
Welcome to our blog!
We want to keep in touch with all you wonderful friends and family, so we're going to try and post anything exciting that may happen, any fun photos, etc. I hope you all enjoy it and please do feel free to leave any comments - we love hearing from you! We need to be heading to bed soon, up early in the mornign for work, so I'll keep this first post small. Dang Daylight Savings time means we have one hour less of sleep, but we'll deal I suppose! :) It will be nice to have an extra bit of sunlight in the evenings I guess.
Hope you all have a great evening - check back soon and keep in touch! :)
We want to keep in touch with all you wonderful friends and family, so we're going to try and post anything exciting that may happen, any fun photos, etc. I hope you all enjoy it and please do feel free to leave any comments - we love hearing from you! We need to be heading to bed soon, up early in the mornign for work, so I'll keep this first post small. Dang Daylight Savings time means we have one hour less of sleep, but we'll deal I suppose! :) It will be nice to have an extra bit of sunlight in the evenings I guess.
Hope you all have a great evening - check back soon and keep in touch! :)
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